


Meditations

by TsarinaTorment



Series: Drabbles [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Drabbles, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-09 04:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 100
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsarinaTorment/pseuds/TsarinaTorment
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of 100-word drabbles centred around various themes and characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Water (Suigetsu)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The liquid of life"

He depended on it, perhaps a little too much. It sustained him; it defined him. Without it he'd be no-one. Without it he'd have died a thousand times. It was a part of him, and he abused it. It was his addiction, but it was so much more than that. He joy he felt when he encountered it – when he became one with it – could not be compared to anything else. Not even the delightful art of decapitation came close to the pure bliss of escape the cool touch gave him, revived him. It really was the liquid of life.


	2. Time (Sasuke)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Time heals all wounds"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The return was as he had expected, but not as he had selfishly dared to hope. He was still estranged from everyone, no matter what they said. Actions speak louder than words, and the subtle gestures and looks told him all he needed to know. He might have been forgiven, but his actions hadn't been forgotten – only his few good deeds had disappeared from memory. The bad ones, the ones he regretted with all his being, were still remembered, still shone clear in their eyes when they looked at him. People say that time heals all wounds. He wasn't convinced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	3. Illness (Itachi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sick in both mind and body"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It consumed him from within. First it was the guilt, the unrelenting guilt for what he had done, which then gave way to a broken heart. They say that's not a real illness – that it can't kill you unless you let it. They're wrong, he thinks as he coughs up more blood. Even if you fight, it can – will – still claim you for its own. But then, perhaps it was because refusal to surrender cursed you until you had no choice but to submit to its supreme will. Because, he realises, it makes you sick in both mind and body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	4. Saviour (Sakura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She just wanted to save them"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She watched as they began to drift apart, so soon after finally becoming real teammates, no, friends. Nothing that she said or did could change what was happening and she had never felt so useless. Then they split, perhaps for good, and she knew she had to change. So she trained. She trained until she was exhausted, collapsing into bed every night with no stamina left. It was worth it, though, when she allowed herself to think that she was stronger. In the end, though, it meant nothing. She just wanted to save them. But apparently it wasn't to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	5. Alone (Gaara)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He was never alone, really"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Ignored. Shunned. Feared. Everyone excluded him from everything, unless it was another attempt to kill him. The assassins could never succeed, though, and his loneliness spiked straight after killing the latest one. They were desperate to be rid of him, to be rid of the monster that haunted their dreams. Even his own family couldn't hide their raw fear whenever he was near them. They'd keep their backs to the wall and their eyes on him. He was isolated from everyone, but as the monster within him once again made its presence known, he knew. He was never alone, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	6. Shadows (Temari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The one thing the wind can't destroy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Ever since the Chuunin Exams, they never failed to put her on edge. They'd always been slightly freaky – after all, who knew what they might have been concealing? But then she discovered that they didn't need to hide anything to be dangerous. They were a weapon in their own right, and as capable of murder as she was, they scared her. There was no defence. As long as the world existed, so would they. The night was the worst – there was no escape from them then. Powerful as her chakra was, they are the one thing the wind can't destroy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	7. Hero (Naruto)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All he dreamed of, but never dared hope for"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was what kept him going – the thing that stopped him even considering giving up, giving in to the cruel world that hated him so much. He wasn't stupid, though. Children, even the unruly ones like him, were always encourage to aim high when considering what they wanted to do with their life choices. So he had aimed for the highest he could, proclaiming it loud and clear to all who would listen, as well as those that wouldn't. But deep down he knew his unique… situation… meant that it was all he dreamed of, but never dared hope for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	8. Flowers (Ino)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone can bloom"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Surrounded by her mother's livelihood, she pondered. Comparisons were easy to draw between nature and people, even if you didn't have the extensive knowledge that she did on the matter. She watched everyone around her, seemingly from the side lines, as the improved and improved. Her teammate was already a Chuunin, and the strength her old classmates had shown was also extraordinarily different. At was no wonder that she began to feel inadequate. All she did was bark orders and be protected by the boys. That needed to change, and fast. She could do it. After all, everyone can bloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	9. Blood (Tsunade)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The healer she couldn't stand"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It's what keeps everyone alive. It's supposed to stay within the body. It's ironic, isn't it? The key to her ability, the key to her success, and she's terrified of it. Just the mere sight of it is enough to make her freeze in her tracks, trembling as she stares at whatever it coats, her mind travelling back to when it all started. To when he left her alone in this world. She's a healer; she has to learn to deal with it. But however hard she tries, she always fails. It would always be the healer she couldn't stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only character please!
> 
> Tsari


	10. Sealed (Kurama)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Perhaps it wasn't all bad"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He'd just broken free of the woman, then from those crimson eyes that bound him, when the flash of a man cradled a new born babe in one hand, and summoned the altar with the other. He wouldn't let that happen, but his attempt at murder was halted by the parents and he was split in two. Half of him was forced to look over the loud, obnoxious child he was now within. But as time went by, he realised that the naïve idiot was freeing him and his kind in his own stubborn way. Perhaps it wasn't all bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	11. Lightning (Kakashi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The only one he owned"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He had a reputation, sure. You don't gain considerable mastery over a technique that by rights you shouldn't even have without people hearing about you. But that was the only reason he was acknowledged as dangerous. People forgot that he became Jounin without it. Wild theories circled as to how he obtained it, although very few people really knew. What people didn't consider was that it was not his only source of strength. His chakra had two types, one of which he had honed all by himself. No-one cared to know anymore, but it was the only one he owned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	12. Pet (Akamaru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He was so much more"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Most people that looked at him viewed him as nothing more than a mere animal. They saw the white fur (occasionally red if they were lucky – or an unlucky enemy) and heard the deep bark and wrote him off as nothing important. Very few people did, really. The few that did pay attention to him were family, whether by blood or time. Just because he didn't talk, unlike some of his peers, didn't mean he was nothing more than a way to look his partner look superior to the two-legged idiots. No, no, he was so much more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt)
> 
> Tsari


	13. Owner (Kiba)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He was so much less"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Most people that looked at him viewed him as superior to his partner. To them, it was a master and his dog. So few people had a healthy respect for dogs, and so many had the hubris to think their own species as far superior. He was used to it, but that didn't mean he liked it. He never approved of the segregation that many people imposed upon their relationship. Just because his partner couldn't be understood by most, didn't mean that as the human, he was master. In fact, it was almost the opposite; he was so much less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	14. Music (Tayuya)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Escape from reality"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The world was so harsh on people like her. Orphans, taken in to work for a man that never cared for their health or well-being. All he cared about was how useful she was to him. The one companion she still had from her old life, before everything went wrong, was the crude flute that played haunting melodies when she touched it to her lips. When she played, it reminded her that life hadn't always been so bad. She could use it to make illusions, make people see what wasn't there. That was why it was her escape from reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	15. Child (Minato)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He'd never really grown up"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He might have been in charge of the village, but that didn't mean he wasn't known to participate, or even master-mind, several pranks. At home, he often procrastinated so that he had time for laughter, fun and games. Responsibility was a great burden, especially one as great as his, so sometimes he had to hide from it all, if only for a little while. When the attack came, and his obligations pulled him to the fore, he did what he had to do, believing that it would be alright in the end. But then again, he'd never really grown up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	16. Master (Mangetsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There was nothing left"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Everyone called him a prodigy, and perhaps he was, but that wasn't a good thing. Not as far as he was concerned, anyway. The swords – seven powerful swords that never submitted easily – obeyed him with little effort on his behalf. It was a miracle, some proclaimed. Others just shrugged and blamed it on his genius. It was a disappointment, as far as he was concerned. He hated that everything came naturally to him, that he never had to work hard for anything. Because in the end, there was nothing left. His goal was achieved before his life had even begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	17. Bird (Neji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Perhaps he could fly away"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The mark on his forehead defined him. It wrote out his life's plan and assigned him his reason to live. He was caged by the old traditions, by the possibility of losing his mind. He was there purely to sacrifice himself for the good of the main house, for his younger cousins that looked up to him as a threat to their way of life. How could he be stronger than the superiority of their family? But then the loud-mouthed ignorant blonde entered his life and changed all he believed in. And then he realised; perhaps he could fly away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	18. Butterfly (Chouji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everyone can evolve"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Everyone called him fat. Well, almost everyone; some people knew better. But even he could see that he was weak. His clan's jutsu, while impressive to see, are not always the most useful, especially when used by a weak Genin like himself. He watched his classmates improve, until even the so-called 'dead last' was a hero of the village. It was not until the War – the War that shredded everything and left the survivors to piece their lives back together – where he had to kill his own sensei, before he realised that it isn't an exclusive feat; everyone can evolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	19. Clouds (Shikamaru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes the world was too much"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It wasn't easy being a genius. Everyone – not just his peers, but his superiors as well – always sought for his advice and there was never any time to relax any more. Since his father had died and he'd assumed command of the entire Shinobi Alliance, life had been a non-stop whirlwind of strategies and mission assignments and exam arrangements. For a laidback guy, it made life very difficult and not even his teammates could do anything to ease off. He missed lying back on the rooftops and watching – envying – the freedom of the sky. Sometimes the world was too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	20. Circles (Nagato)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The only thing people saw"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He never knew he had them until his best friend was attacked. His sensei saw them, and the way he treated him changed, and he didn't like it. He didn't care that it was legendary. He didn't care about being someone's reincarnation. All he wanted to do was keep his friends alive and safe. But he failed and hides away, using reanimated bodies to go about his business. Because of that (almost) everyone looks at him in fear. Not for his determination, not for his bright red hair, but because of his eyes. They were the only thing people saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	21. Hidden (Shino)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Secrecy is key"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

People always wondered why he and the rest of his esteemed clan always covered their eyes, and the rest of them whenever practical. There were all sorts of wild theories, including that they weren't human – they always gained mistrust due to the parasites they willingly stored within their bodies – or that their eyes were nothing more than a mass of crawling insects. The real reason was far more simple, and something that so many shinobi seemed to have forgotten over the generations until only they truly remembered it. If you are to survive in this cut-throat world, secrecy is key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	22. Love (Hinata)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Worth living"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Sometimes she felt like she was drowning in despair. Nothing ever went right – everything she could do, her cousin or younger sister could do better. She considered giving up, ending it all. How much better off the world would be without her. Even within her team, she seemed useless. The bugs could deal with an enemy's chakra so much more effectively than she could, and the keen nose of a dog could track targets better than her, despite her inheritance. But then she'd see a flash of blonde, a determined smile, and realise that perhaps it really was worth living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	23. Care (Kisame)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He shouldn't, but he did"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He watched his partner carefully, taking in every swirl of the red and every abyss of the black. He was nothing more than a child, and he hated children. But that didn't change the fact that he always kept one eye on his partner when they were in a battle. It was unnecessary – the kid could look after himself just fine – but he still did it. The blood that spurted out during coughing fits reminded him that he would lose him soon – either to battle or illness – and that there was no point getting attached. He shouldn't, but he did.


	24. Lust (Karin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She thought she knew the difference"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She revelled in the sensation as his chakra once again almost brushed against hers, then tensed in repulsion as the other chakra came near her. The first, she would follow to the ends of the earth, and do anything for, just so she could continue to sense it. The latter, she argued with constantly – it teased her and belittled her. Then it was gone and she only had to deal with the pleasant one. But it had changed (for the worse) and she missed the other's banter. Love and lust; she thought she knew the difference, but experience proved otherwise.


	25. King (Asuma)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He'd left his own legacy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Strategic games were always fun to play, as well as good mental training. He loved to challenge both his disciple, and even his disciple's father, even though he lost every time. The pieces spoke deeply to him, after an older and wiser man had pointed out their true forms – something he was selfishly glad his disciple couldn't work out, for all his genius. It was his only win. In the end, he'd told him, if only to secure safety and extract a promise as he lay dying. At least he'd left his own legacy, safe in the hands of another.


	26. Heart (Kakuzu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It didn't seem special"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He'd lived a long time, far longer than his appearance betrayed. His extended life span and apparent immortality meant little to him, beyond the vast amount of money he was able to amass over such a length of time. Almost a century and he still didn't look a day over thirty five, although his mask concealed all that. The secret to his longevity was simple and effective. All one had to do was replace (or gain, in his case) the organ that everyone else seemed so attached to. But after using up so many, it didn't seem special any more.


	27. God (Hidan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Immortality was a curse"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was always amusing to watch the faces of his opponents when they realised that he was still very much alive and more than ready to sacrifice them, using his own body as a medium. Some called him masochistic – he preferred to view it as the ultimate form of cleansing of sin, even as he committed another. It was a vicious cycle, but one that he revelled in nonetheless. His inability to die, however, meant that he would not be able to ever meet the one he adored so much in person. In that respect, his immortality was a curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Serymn from ff.net for this one!


	28. Peace (Rin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It wasn't why she died"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

All her kunoichi life, she seemed to be the one forced to play mediator. Her bickering teammates seemed incapable of getting on. She and her skills always had to be what calmed the brewing storm. But then they merged into one as one died and by her own hands she transplanted a bit of him into the other. Then, she thought it was over; she could move on with her life. But no, captured and made into a weapon, she sacrificed herself by his hands. She spent her life enforcing it, but in the end, it wasn't why she died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Serymn from ff.net for this one!


	29. Knowledge (Orochimaru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The greatest power in the world"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It started off as simple curiosity. What was this? What was that? His sensei was always eager to answer anything. Being the prized student definitely had its perks. Eventually, though, the questions dried up as no-one seemed to have the answers that he had at some point begun to crave. That was when he chose to defect, to research into every aspect of the shinobi life, and later their deaths. Sometimes he wondered why he went to such lengths to get answers, but then he remembered his goals of invincibility, and that this was the greatest power in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	30. Death (Dan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It really didn't affect him"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

His abilities were such that the idea of dying very quickly became obsolete. Technically, he killed himself every day on the battlefield, taking down more with him before returning to his own body and family. It was somewhat ironic then, that when he thought he'd died for good – when the girl he loved so much failed to save him despite all her skills – that the forbidden technique was used to revive him again, giving him true immortality instead of dancing with the void as he was wont to do on the battlefield. It seemed that it really didn't affect him.


	31. Nature (Juugo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Formidable ally"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was always at one with the world. Animals spoke to him and he understood them. He used this affliction of his for the greater good as much as he could, but even when it tried to protect him, or those around him, it always ended up inflicting more pain. His ability to absorb whatever energy was around him increased his strength a hundred-fold, but at a high price. His sanity. He would always come to his senses surrounded by the blood of his victims and no memories. It was a formidable enemy, certainly, but an even more formidable ally.


	32. Name (Obito)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It didn't mean anything"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

His past meant something – family, friends and a rival. Of course, after he supposedly died, said rival became famous and his details could be found in every single bingo book. But he hadn't died, even though who he was hailed as a hero. He was tutored by the best, and when they passed on he took their identity for himself when talking with a select few, and yet another alias for his mask. Then the mask was broken and his master was resurrected and they wanted to know who he really was. He didn't understand why. It didn't mean anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Serymn from ff.net for this one!


	33. Helpless (Mikoto)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She shouldn't have stayed silent"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

After the Kyuubi, her husband grew tired of the village's passive aggression towards the clan and decided that a more active stance was required. She didn't agree. Her best friend had died in defence of this village and the coup d'état being planned would tear it apart from the inside. But as the wife of the ringleader she didn't think objection would be taken well, so she didn't. She accepted that it would have to happen. But as her son stood over her, sword drawn and tears spilling down his normally stoic face she realised she shouldn't have stayed silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	34. Inheritance (Sasuke)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Crimson"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

There wasn't much that his clan had left him, when he thought about it. Just sad memories. When his eyes swirled to red, most people knew who his was, what his name was. It was what everyone thought his blood gave him. They never realised that there was more to his family name than their kekkei genkai; no-one knew the dark secrets of the clan. The blood that spilled as he killed his brother for more power, and later the blood of his eyes to accompany his black flames. That was what he'd really been given. His gifts were crimson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!


	35. Anger (Hidan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Temper is the only thing you can't get rid of by losing"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Blown into tiny pieces, there was little he could do but curse and yell obscenities at the young Konoha ninja that looked down at him, smugly informing him that no-one would ever get close enough to him to put him back together. Earth piled down on him and he was helpless to stop it. His scythe was out of reach, and probably in pieces like he was. He'd lost everything. The only thing he could do was fume silently at his partner for not coming to help him. Temper is the only thing you can't get rid of by losing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Guest from ff.net for this one!


	36. Curse (Shisui)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was inescapable"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimed: I don't own Naruto

The tragic history of the clan was stained in blood. Every member of the (second) most powerful shinobi clan to ever exist had their hands stained with the red crimson at some point in their lives, the crimson of family. Hatred breeds more hatred, just as power leads for lust for even more power. Both were traits commonly found within them – no wonder they were destroying themselves from the inside out. He tried to save them, but it didn't work and in the end even he had the blood of family on his hands – his own. Ultimately, it was inescapable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	37. Trapped (Deidara)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Rivalry was his prison"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He didn't want to be there, in that place with eight others (that masked idiot didn't count), but he couldn't leave. He'd been forced in, forced by those red, scornful eyes that tried to make him view them as true art and those red eyes were keeping him there. They needed to be punished, but he wasn't strong enough so he got stronger. He learnt to neutralise their greatest asset – the world of illusions – but when he was finally ready the younger one with those red eyes was his downfall. He could have escaped, but unrequited rivalry was his prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	38. Regret (Chiyo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mistakes can never be fixed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was wrong. She knew that the moment he was born, premature and far, far too small, and the feeling increased as she watched him grow up, older and older, defying his father just with his continued existence as assassin after assassin died trying to take him (or was it it – she didn't know anymore) down. Even when he became leader (still feared but not so much) she still knew she'd been wrong all those years ago. She gave her remaining life to restore his in a pathetic attempt at salvation (apology), despite knowing that mistakes can never be fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	39. Victim (Gen'yūmaru)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Snakes lie"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He promised that he'd be set free. He promised that his family would be safe, would be released from the tortures they'd been subjected to. All he had to do was kill. That was fine – he was a born killer and, even if he wasn't, who wouldn't kill to save their clan (dark thoughts in the mind that controlled his supplied red eyes and a scratched headband)? His captor himself came down to set him free. Except he wasn't. He was suppressed beyond all recognition, almost gone. But what remained of him was enough to show him that snakes lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	40. Mother (Nono)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He couldn't be"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A renowned kunoichi. That was what she had been, before she'd given it all up to help at the orphanage and hear the children call her mother. There was one without a name, so she named him, even giving him her last name as she began to feel like his real mother, not his caretaker. But he was taken from her by her own past, a past she too returned to under duress. Her final target was a spy, one that had betrayed her village, but he killed her instead. He said he was her child, but he couldn't be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	41. Stability (Jōseki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The village always comes first"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Hidden deep in the desert, and one tasked with the welfare of the village, there was only one thing he truly desired. He'd thought sealing the monster into a foetus would help but when that failed he was first to say it needed destroying. Later, when the same Jinchuuriki, now his leader, was captured by those men of red clouds he argued against rescuing it, but not, as most people thought, because he hated it. No, the boy had proven to be loyal to the village, but the village could not afford to weaken and the village always comes first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	42. Growth (Shimon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They'd come a long way"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He first saw them in the room of the first Chuunin exam. Nine children (they were barely Genin) making a ruckus as they waited. Sure, he'd seen them around, especially the Kyuubi kid and the Uchiha, but that was the first time he really saw them. He saw them again in the war when they proved their worth now as Chuunin. Well, all bar two. The late-comers and soon-to-be heroes were still Genin, but did such formalities matter when they took down the two responsible for the war. As he watched them, he felt proud. They'd come a long way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	43. Manipulated (Yūra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He'd been used"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A loyal Sand ninja. That was what he thought he was. But then things happened and he didn't know what he was. He sat on the council and tried to protect the village, until one time he led a mission and other memories awoke within him, telling him that he was a spy and that he had to kill his companions. He obeyed these memories, the spy in him wanted to please the master. But then he was fighting like, and died with the face of, an Uchiha, reverting back to himself only after he was dead. He'd been used.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	44. Loss (Kushina)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She never thought she would miss it"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Her purpose; she was to be the new container for the beast of nightmares. It scared her. She didn't want to do it, even her predecessor's words were not enough to comfort her. Then it happened and from that point onwards she was never alone, no matter how much she wished for privacy her mind was constantly invaded by the demon. It came as a shock to her when it departed and she was truly alone, sitting at death's door. At last, there was no malicious presence in the back of her mind. She never thought she would miss it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	45. Watch (Fukasaku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He'd seen worse"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The young gutsy ninja was not the first to be taught senjutsu, and he doubted that he would be the last, either. His sensei, the sannin, had also come under the care of the toads to be taught a skill that could make all the difference between life and death, providing you survived the training. They both did, and both came out of it with their own varieties. The perverted man refused to use it except absolutely necessary, claiming he hated his looks, while the Bijuu within the other forced other measures to be taken. Ah well, he'd seen worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	46. Insecure (Chōjūrō)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He could do it"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being selected by his gentle Mizukage with her beautiful smile as one of her two guards was a great honour, and one he was sure he didn't deserve. His sword may have chosen him, but he didn't understand why – he wasn't particularly strong, especially not compared to his predecessors whose names even now struck fear into the hearts of any who heard them. But his beautiful leader was always there with a gentle word of support, helping his confidence to grow and as he faced the black regenerating thing in the war he realised that yes, he could do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	47. Lavender (Hinata)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was safe"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Colours meant a lot to her. There was the bright orange that warned of a certain-hyperactive ninja that she couldn't help but love, and the black and red of the cursed boy who had nothing and lived for nothing. Then there was the soft colour of her own clan, the colour she wore with pride and the colour that shone out of her eyes (people said their eyes were white, but they weren't). Those soft eyes that now gave her a sense of safety when her cousin looked at her. She used to fear it, but now it was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	48. Change (Sakura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "People change"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

As she stared at the Chidori, inches from her and halted only by her sensei, she thought back to when she first met the now broody avenger. Their first day at the academy she'd noticed him, smiling proudly at a man that could only be his father. He was full of praise for a boy she learnt was his brother and was always top of the class. Then he became colder and she learnt that his clan was dead, although the why and how she discovered much later. His new persona, evolved even further still, reminded her that people change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to EraticMind from ff.net for this one1
> 
> Tsari


	49. Sake (Tsunade)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And so she drinks to forget"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being a medic was never easy. People died in front of you even as you were pouring your Chakra into their broken bodies, trying to make them whole again. Losing someone close to you in this way was inevitable, and his death broke her already fragile state after her brother's unrecognisable corpse was brought back to her. The teammate she thought she loved betrayed the village she thought she hated and the one that was always there for her suddenly wasn't. Life hurt, and knowing that she was responsible for so many deaths hurt, and so she drinks to forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to EraticMind from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	50. Family (Naruto)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Family means no-one gets left behind"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was hated by the village and so he clung to the few that showed him an emotion other than disgust. Of course, his teammates had plenty of disgust for him, but it was for his appalling lack of skills when he graduated, not for a reason he didn't understand. The brooding raven-haired wannabe-genius intent on death and destruction became his brother, the girl he thought he loved became his sister and his perverted sensei was the strange uncle that meant well. He didn't care what they did – he would always forgive them because family means no-one gets left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to EraticMind from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	51. Promises (Neji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He promised to protect her until the day he died"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

When he learnt the truth from his uncle about the brave self-sacrifice his father had made so that others could live he was forced to re-evaluate his ideas on the clan and his weak cousin. He no longer saw her as a poor choice for clan heir, but a child too far out of her depths. He would teach her to swim, to fly above the expectations that bound her, and he would watch over her as best he could. He managed to keep the promise he made to himself; he promised to protect her until the day he died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to EraticMind from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	52. Weapon (Haku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is there more to this existence?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was a tool. Nothing more and nothing less. He was told he was one of the most talented shinobi his master had ever trained. His master didn't give out compliments, nor did he encourage him to be better. He was expected to be better so he was. He was expected to kill his emotions so he did (mostly – he was better at hiding the fact that he couldn't kill his emotions). But he'd see other people his age running around with someone his master's age and notice a difference. It made him wonder: is there more to this existence?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to IMixDangerousChemicals from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	53. Escape (Kakashi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Truth is stranger than fiction"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He always got scolded for his choice of reading material. People would say it was inappropriate, especially as he was a sensei now and had to think of the poor twelve-year olds. He was younger than them when he made Jounin. Thinking of his first Jounin mission (failure) always made him feel ill, so he would re-bury his nose into the orange-covered books and get lost in the descriptions of love-making and other events that took place hidden between the pages. So what if it was completely unrealistic (despite the author's 'research')? Everyone knows that truth is stranger than fiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	54. Decision (Fugaku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He wished his son's sanity wasn't the cost"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being the head of a mistrusted clan was never an easy task, one he regretfully expected his son to inherit. Not that that mattered, in the end, when the suppression from the village became too much and he and the rest of the clan decided to remind them just why they were one of the most feared clans. Nothing ever goes according to plan, however, and that was why he was kneeling on the floor, his wife beside him and his broken son behind him. It was probably a good thing, but he wished his son's sanity wasn't the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	55. Parallels (Hiruzen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The past and the future, together as one"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

History has a habit of repeating itself. In his long years, this was the one lesson that really stuck with him. Two major clans reconciled, then slowly a rift between them opened up again, causing tragedy. The Kyuubi attacked, under the influence of the cursed eyes, and was sealed away by a Kage into someone precious. That happened more than once, too. Now he stood in the centre of the battlefield, his body controlled by a student, and watched the world at war against one, long-dead man. And he recognised that it was the past and future, together as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	56. Divided (Zetsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The light and the dark"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was immediately apparent to anyone that looked at him that he wasn't normal. Paper-white skin and tar-black skin merged together for most of his body as two personalities occupied one form (two very different personalities that like to belittle the other but were still working for the same cause and served the same master). One side of him was the organic side, the one that communed with the trees and used them for passage, while the other was little more than the will of a seemingly wronged man seeking retribution. Between them, they represented the light and the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Spaice from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	57. Acceptance (Sakura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was all she ever wanted"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being bullied as a child left a permanent scar on her psyche. A friendly girl picked her up, but they fell apart as a boy entered the scene and they fought for his recognition. He was aware of her existence as they went on the same missions and fought the same battles but she wanted him to realise that she was a kunoichi, not a damsel in distress. She worked hard, but by that time he'd already left her and she was left chasing his shadows. She never questioned why, she just knew that it was all she ever wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Spaice from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	58. Pieces (Nagato)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Be at peace, not in pieces"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Many events in his life shattered him. The first was the death – no, murder – of his parents right in front of him. This was followed by the death of the faithful dog that found him on the street and kept him alive. The final one, the worst of all, was the death of his best friend and leader, whose dream he doggedly followed. He didn't see until too late that he was being manipulated from the shadows by the man who'd defied death. One thing he knew, throughout it all, was that people should be at peace, not in pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to lowgirl from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	59. Angel (Konan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Messenger from God"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Pointless deaths surrounded her as her surviving childhood friend surveyed everything through the eyes of the dead, locked away in his tower as he did so. Wings sprouted from her back, pure white and out of place in the gloom of the rain, as the paper she controlled resisted the water and raised her into the air. She gave the poor, suppressed citizens of their village hope as she informed them of their ruler's wishes. Her role was simple and she wouldn't want it any other way; she had never been the one to shine, just the messenger from God.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	60. Determination (Yahiko)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "His best friends would survive"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He couldn't bear to lose the two singularly most important people in his life. The war had already ripped his parents and friends from him, so the two vulnerable orphans his own age he found became his new family and he swore to protect them. Peace became their goal and they worked tirelessly to achieve it, forming their organisation – the new dawn for a new day – and gathering others to their cause. Just when they thought that maybe they would finally succeed, they were betrayed and their followers killed, but with his death at least his best friends would survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	61. Tears (Itachi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Cried for his family"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He has very few memories of crying. He must have cried during the war, but those memories have been repressed. He supposes he must have cried when his cousin destroyed himself right in front of him. He knows he cried as he stole his parents' lives, and later when his brother collapsed (his fault). And maybe not all the moisture on his face was rain when he heard that his brother was dead, even though he knew it wasn't true. And in their final battle his eyes cried blood because tears were forbidden. He only ever cried for his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	62. Ashes (Hashirama)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Will of Fire"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He couldn't stand the idea of fighting any more, but luckily his best friend thought the same way. They united their clans and a village sprung up from the ruins left by war, welcoming peace treaties and drawing other clans into their new home. But nothing could last forever and his wish for his friend to become the leader failed as everyone else backed him. For the stability he had to accept and it ruined their relationship, forming a canyon in the earth and being scattered to the winds. But he would endure, because that was their Will of Fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Leaf Fall (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	63. Inspiration (Jiraiya)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Novelist to the end"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Somehow he'd managed to gain a reputation as a perverted old man who spent too much time peeking at the women's bath houses (it was research, dammit!). But contrary to popular belief he didn't just write classy romantic novels with a mature touch, he also wrote about the young gutsy kids that didn't know the meaning of the words 'give up'. He had three such students, and each one could be easily put in the place of the main character. The last one would be the lead in his final (unwritten) book, because he was a novelist to the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	64. Scorn (Madara)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How the mighty have fallen"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

His pleasure at his friendship awakening his dream was short lived. He wanted the leadership but then it was denied to him. Furious, he tried to take it by force, but his friend was the stronger, prepared to counter his ace, and he failed, metaphorical tail between his legs. He watched from the shadows as his clan were suppressed by the betrayers and smirked; it served them right for defying his wishes. The last laugh was also his, when a young clansman fell into his lap and with his last days he corrupted him. Ah, how the mighty have fallen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	65. Role (Hiashi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The wrong birthright"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being the head of a clan – especially one that was second only to one founding clan – was never an easy task, and nor was being the heiress, which was why he worried for his daughter and considered replacing her kind soul with the warrior that was her younger sister. But as a father he couldn't bear to send either of them to the fate that had befallen his younger brother, simply because of the moments that separated their birth. He watched his nephew, bitter because of the curse he wore and again admitted that they were given the wrong birthright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Leaf Fall (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	66. Eye (Izuna)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Anything for his brother"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

War was never pleasant, which was why he always loathed the fact that the kaleidoscope activated for him as he watched his best friend fall to the forest clan. He refused to use it – it gave him powers unimaginably overpowering and he hated it. But his brother abused his and soon paid the price. He lost the light entirely and there was only one chance to save him. He wasn't really a medic, but he knew enough to give his brother his own eyes so he did, retreating into the darkness forever because he would do anything for his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	67. Feral (Hana)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Someone had to keep them in check"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Her clan was well known for its ferocious nature, one that sometimes got them compared to their companions in a derogatory way by some of the more stuck-up clans (so what if they used ninken instead of some over powered eye ability?). Her mother was a fierce matriarch and her little brother was unpredictable and easily riled up by the littlest, stupidest, things. Someone had to stop them tearing each other apart and as both a medical ninja and a vet that duty fell to her, one of her clan's more sensible members. Someone had to keep them in check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	68. Loyalty (Moegi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Someone had to pull him out of that pit"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She remembers the first time she met her friend's hero. He didn't seem like much – loud and orange, but then again maybe that was why the Hokage's grandson got on with him so well – but then he saved her from the strange Ame ninja and she realised that she needed to grow up herself. She studied hard, determined that she would stay with her friend as a support, and later his official teammate, because when his hero – now their hero – left for several years he seemed almost at a loss and someone had to pull him out of that pit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	69. Nose (Pakkun)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There would always be someone disappointed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was his greatest asset – why he was the unofficial leader of his ninken pack; why he was even a summon at all – but there were times when even that wasn't good enough and he'd have to explain to the silver haired ninja that he'd lost the scent. It was even worse when the loud fox container was there too, because then they were looking for one of their own and every failure made him even louder and even more determined, but broke him up inside. Sometime he wished that he was better, but there would always be someone disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	70. Anonymous (Kabuto)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He just wanted to know who he was"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

His first memories are of a kind woman healing up wounds he still doesn't know how he received. This meant that no-one knew who he was, and so it was probably to be expected that he would become a spy. No background meant he couldn't be traced. He wore guise after guise until all he had was his name and a personality he'd hashed together from lies. When he realised this, despair sank in. He was nobody – he was less than nobody – and that was something he resolved to change through self-experimentation. He just wanted to know who he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	71. Suspicions (Inabi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He knew who was guilty"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was one of the first to notice the absence of the two young clansmen from the meeting, and he wished he could say he was surprised when one turned up dead, leaving only a note to indicate suicide, and the other explained rather impatiently that he had had a mission. A mission to kill his clansman, he thought bitterly, handing over the note that looked real, but couldn't be, leading to the belief that it had been expertly forged – a feat the other was perfectly capable of. His chief backed up his son, but he knew who was guilty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only character please!
> 
> Tsari


	72. Try (Gai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They needed it"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was too soon to lose your teammates – not that there was ever a good time but they were barely teens and the boy he declared as his rival was all alone, with the names of both his teammates and his sensei inscribed on the stone for the departed heroes. There was little he could do while the teen insisted on ignoring him but he persisted. War had claimed something from them both – their childish innocence – and he would do anything to at least give them the illusion that they still had some semblance of it, because they needed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome (Theme, Character, Prompt) - no OCs or anime-only characters please!
> 
> Tsari


	73. Gift (Hinata)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All she had"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She never knew what she could possibly contribute to help the boy she loved get stronger and stronger. He seemed to manage it all by himself, or with the help of some of his peers (his, not hers, because she was slowly falling behind). She never knew if his obliviousness was a blessing or a curse when it came to her feelings, but when she saw him about to be captured just to be killed she had to do something, so she prepared to fight to the end. Even if it wasn't much, she would give it all she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	74. Warmth (Neji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The warmth in her eyes ignited a flame in his heart"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Generally, his family was a nightmare he avoided – his two cousins being the exception. The elder of the two girls (both still his junior) was cold, dangerously cold, because she cut herself off from the world. She loved it, but it hurt her and she had to protect herself somehow. The younger though, not even graduated even though they were now at war, was fiercely protective of her older sister after realising that she wasn't as useless as she'd been led to believe. The young firework was impressive, and the warmth in her eyes ignited a flame in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to naisama (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	75. Feeble (Lee)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Face another day"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Taunts accompanied his time at the academy when it became apparent that he had no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu, leaving taijutsu as his only feasible method. His peers would tell him that he couldn't be a ninja and that he should just give up, and his teachers seemed at a loss. His hard work allowed him to graduate and he was given a sensei that unconditionally supported him every step of the way, but the genius was in his squad and continued to put him down. Ironically, it was this that gave him the motivation to face another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	76. Kintsukuroi (Hinata)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With her broken heart finally shattered, she searches for gold to mend it"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She had never been the most stable of people, emotionally – a fact her sensei, cousin and quieter teammate liked to point out at every opportunity, presumably with the aim of fixing this problem. It gave her the strength to continue when someone she cared about fell, but at the same time it made her a liability if negativity came her way. So when her cousin died, his body shielding her from a fatal wound, she turned to her blond hero for directions on how to continue, as with her broken heart finally shattered, she searches for gold to mend it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to naisama (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	77. Aniki (Sasuke)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I love you, Aniki"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Their relationship had perhaps not been your stereotypical brotherly love. Sure, it had started off with his brother vowing to protect him, and making good on that promise several times, but then somehow the love changed to hatred as his brother did something so fundamentally wrong that he was sure he could never forgive him. It was only once he'd killed the traitor he'd refused to think of as a brother that he realised that the elder had never stopped loving him, and, more surprisingly, that he had never stopped loving his brother, as he murmured _I love you, Aniki_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to naisama (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	78. Disquiet (Hagoromo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The line of succession"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Was he the only one, he often wondered, who could feel the disturbance in the flow of the nature that surrounded each and every one of them? He tried to preach this to others, but to his despair they ignored him, taking what he had taught them and twisting it into something for personal gain. With his death he knew that things would only deteriorate ever faster, so he did the only thing he could, splitting the monster so that it (now they) could teach reality to his divided sons and their descendants, who would be the line of succession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Doryus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	79. Stars (Itachi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As he gazes, he remembers a time when life was simple"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was a habit of his that his companion liked to comment on. Whenever he had the chance, he would raise his sight to the night sky and look at the twinkling lights high above – lights that never changed, no matter what happened below them. They were impartial to everything, especially the lives and deeds of the shinobi, and he envied them. They burnt until they could burn no more, always sure of their purpose. It was a simple existence for them, unmarred by impossible choices and blood-soaked hands; as he gazes, he remembers a time when life was simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to naisama (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	80. Transient (Deidara)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Forever in one moment"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The fleeting nature of existence always intrigued him and inspired him, prompting him to try and recreate it with the forbidden techniques he stole as a child. The beautiful sculptures that he created were infused with his Chakra, and he would watch in earnest as they exploded in a flash, accompanied by an explosion. He proclaimed it art, but there was something never quite right with it. It was there one moment and gone the next, as he desired, but something was always off. It was only when he made himself art that he felt it – forever in one moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	81. Murderer (Danzo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Killing is not so easy as the innocent believe"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was an accusation he quickly learnt to let wash over him, otherwise it would overwhelm him and that would not be good for the village. Besides, all shinobi killed eventually. They were all one and the same, at the end of the day – his excuse, like any loyal ninja – was that it was for the sake of his village. It didn't stop the slight twinge in his chest when he handed out the next execution order or dirtied his own hand with the blood, but it kept him sane, because killing is not so easy as the innocent believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	82. Become (Hiashi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In the end, you become that which you most despise"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Seeing the mark on his brother's forehead – the mark that restrained his very thoughts – he cursed his father for making it so. Mere moments had separated their birth, and yet his younger brother had been relegated to nothing more than, to use a term his nephew later coined, a bird in a cage. He swore that he would never do that to his own flesh and blood and yet here he was, his daughter and heir turning three, forcing his nephew through the same process, learning the bitter truth that, in the end, you become that which you most despise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to naisama (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	83. Threshold (Kabuto)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Journey inside"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He saw the battered down door and immediately knew something was not as it should be. The young vessel to be had decided to take matters into his own hands and had absorbed the one who wanted his body – fate had a sense of humour, it seemed. After learning the truth, he teetered in the doorway, not sure whether to leave or to enter and pay his old master's snake of an empty corpse the respect that was expected. He made his decision, not realising the consequences it would have in mere months, as he made the short journey inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	84. Book (Sai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was his treasure"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Emotions were frowned upon to the point that he and his peers didn't know how to feel them anymore, let alone how to express them. So he didn't know why he would always keep the little sketchbook on him and look at the pages covered with the fights he'd recorded in his own way, featuring him and his brother. He didn't understand how to be possessive of anything, and yet no-one could touch this except him. It felt private – no-one else had a right to see it without his express permission. He didn't understand why, but it was his treasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	85. Small (Shino)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Seen by all"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Insignificance held no direct correlation to size, despite what many people thought. Even the most microscopic of bugs had an important purpose, even if they worked better in groups than individually for the most part. But reconnaissance was best carried out by the tiniest of critters, hiding in plain sight and yet still being ignored. He didn't mind, for the most part, because it made espionage a lot easier, which was his speciality because of the small organisms that fed on his Chakra within his body. Individually they were invisible, but once in action their effects were seen by all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	86. Air (Temari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Through the night"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was her element, and the element of her country. It never failed to give her a rush as her fan whistled, forcing the wind to do her bidding. But perhaps more important was the way it carried messages. She watched their fastest hawk fly out of sight, on an urgent mission and betraying this with his streamlined form. He would fly, guided by the element of their people, until he reached the village in the leaves to tell them of their predicament. He would keep going until he reached his destination, supported by the wind all through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	87. Marriage (Mei)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Not good enough"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was ridiculous, she decided as she surveyed her village. There she was, the leader of the bloodiest shinobi village in history, and still completely single with no prospects for a relationship visible, even on the distant horizon. Was it that much to ask for to have a man to come home to at the end of the day, one that she could trust implicitly with everything, who would love her and not view her as untouchable. Her advisors disagreed with her. She was a highly independent woman but it appeared that men thought that she was not good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SliverQuill for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	88. Vicious (Kisame)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The path of blood"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The nickname of his home village gave enough people reason to pause when they saw his headband, before they even saw his blue skin and the pointed teeth that were bared in a menacing grin. He was a monster that haunted the dreams of even the most hardened shinobi and he loved it. He loved the way they quaked when they saw him, or even heard his name. After a battle he would always be coated in crimson liquid, striking fear into any surviving observers. After all, like his village's name and reputation suggested, he walked the path of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	89. Violet (Ino)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Vigil of care"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

She might not have been the great medic ninja that the Hokage was, nor even her peer and best friend, the cherry blossom, but she knew enough to get by. Her bright clothes brought relief to her patients, because she was the only one that wore such a bright colour in the hospital, as she cared for the flowers well-wishers had gifted to those unable to leave the hospital just yet. Flowers had their own meanings, and she hoped that she herself had a pleasant one as she tended to the lesser injuries, never relenting in her vigil of care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	90. Son (Kagami)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "His will lived on"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The young boy entered the world screaming and spent the rest of his life that way – always the centre of attention and loved by all. He and his clan head's eldest boy were the only two to notice that when he wanted to he could slip around unnoticed, working from the shadows. But it wasn't the shinobi-like qualities of his child that he loved. No, he loved the fact that he, too, was unaffected by power, regardless of what the clan said, and when it was his time, he walked into death's embrace calmly, confident that his will lived on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SliverQuill for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	91. Belief (Dai)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Repeated history"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He wished he could say he was surprised when his son inherited his lack of ability in any of the ninja arts, save taijutsu. The sad truth was that he had expected it. When he looked at the child that followed him hopelessly, he had to quell the thoughts of blame. His son would be strong – he would break the mould and become one of the top ninja in the village. And as he sacrificed his life to save his son, something in the back of his mind told him that his son would continue to be a repeated history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	92. Witness (Torifu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "As the Hokage fell"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was there when his peer was declared the third leader of their village, noticing the anger and jealousy of his other peer. That was the first time he saw his own leader fall, and it was something he vowed never to see again. The leadership passed from third to fourth peacefully, as it should, and he thought that he would never live to see the bright new one meet his end. He was proved wrong as he saw the fox demon sealed away inside the new born babe, forced to watch for the second time as the Hokage fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SliverQuill for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	93. Progression (Minato)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The world in his wake"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

No-one, back when he was a student in the academy, thought that he had it in him to become the village leader, as he spent his young life aiming high. It was to great delight that he was summoned by the third to tell him that his dream had come true, and to great sorrow that he left the living so soon after, but his short time as leader was not his only conquest. He created many jutsu and encouraged many a wavering heart. And whenever he disappeared in a flash of yellow, he left the world in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	94. Balance (Tobirama)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The world couldn't handle two idiots"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The end of the fighting and an alliance with their enemies, now friends, seemed like a dream come true, and to his stupidly idealist brother, it was. He was the one that pointed out the darkness that still rested behind those red eyes, which his brother refused to see, adamant that his best friend would never betray him. But deep down he always knew the clan would never accept being tethered to the village and their old enemies, despite his brother. They completed each other – him and the wood user. He was serious, because the world couldn't handle two idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SliverQuill for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	95. Stealth (Hayate)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "To his last breath"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He gripped his sword tightly, hearing the plans to destroy his beloved village from those already inside it. It was unthinkable that their allies in the sand would betray them but it was happening and only he was in the position to act. He thought he'd remained undetected as he slipped away, only to be cornered by one of the two he had just overheard scheming. For once in his life it appeared that his silence had not been absolute enough – or the Jounin was just that skilled – so he attacked, determined to defend his village to his last breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Leaf Fall (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	96. Mistaken (Hagoromo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He had always thought the younger was the neglected one"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

No-one is infallible, no matter how much they like to think to the contrary. Even he, the son of the terrifying she-demon that ruled by herself, was not immune to blindness, or incorrect decisions. He thought his elder son had everything. Power; his grandmother's eyes (one of their abilities). In contrast, the younger was useless. He couldn't do anything by himself – independence was a word he didn't know the meaning of. It was because of this that he spent time with the drop out, isolating his other boy further, because he had always thought the younger was the neglected one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Silverlight10243 from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	97. Failure (Yagura)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It wasn't supposed to be that way"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

It was a proud moment when he donned the blue hat for the first time. He was young but he was powerful, and that was what he would use to advance the mist. He had a vision, and it was one he was determined to see to fruition. Unfortunately, as the holder of the three tails, he caught the crimson eye of a malevolent shadow who took over his mind until he was little more than a puppet watching the world go by without the ability to change it. And he despaired, because it wasn't supposed to be that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Aki_no_hikari for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	98. Observer (Rin)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The moment of truth"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Being the medic ninja of the squad came with its own responsibilities, and challenges that were impossible without a strong will continued to batter at her. She rarely partook in fighting, despite her rank, because that was what her teammates were for. The helplessness overtook her as her teammate was crushed by a rock. Her skills were not enough to rescue him from the jaws of death, so she obeyed his last request to strengthen the other boy, also injured. Whether or not she succeeded would be revealed when her remaining teammate opened his eyes in the moment of truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Dorylus from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	99. Defence (Hashirama)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is the best offence"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

He was a ninja and had lived through a time of strife. Lessons were hard learnt in that environment as things were lost before he realised how to save them. Seeing the cracks already forming in his new dream, he went to the only person he felt he could do anything about it. His best friend had torn the cracks into canyons, so gaping wide that there was no mending them. Betrayal tore at him as they fought, but he patiently countered everything thrown at him, because against the madman and his summoned demon fox, that is the best offence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to it makes sense in context from ff.net for this one!
> 
> Tsari


	100. Clarity (Yūgao)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Double edged sword"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

His death crushed her. Her mind was clouded as she swore revenge, but with no real target her anger turned to sorrow and her sword, once a part of her, was now little more than a reminder that she had failed to save him. She had left his side and he had died. She surrendered her position in the elite and turned to the medical arts, unable to face the horrors of conflict without him beside her. She wished she was still in the bloodlust stage, because the alternative, accepting that he was gone, had been a double edged sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Leaf Fall (Guest) from ff.net for this one!
> 
> This is the last daily update, and I'm now going to mark it as complete. However, if anyone has a prompt they haven't yet told me I will write it up and post it.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Tsari

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts are welcome! (Theme, Character, Prompt) - No OCs or anime-only characters please.
> 
> Tsari


End file.
